Share this article
Print this page
Email a friend
- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.0
High: 33°C
Low: 27°C
Alerts
CM breaks ground for Kalma Chowk flyover
Orders completion by August 13; series of underpasses also in the pipeline.
Orders completion by August 13; a series of underpasses in the pipeline
LAHORE:
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered the Communication and Works (C&W) Department to complete the construction of the Kalma Chowk flyover by August 13, 2011.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the project, Sharif said that he hoped to inaugurate the flyover on August 14 this year. “In the first phase the flyover will be completed. Later, work on several underpasses will kick off,” he said. The contract for construction work on Kalma Chowk has been awarded to the Sub Project Management Unit of the C&W department. The estimated cost of the project is Rs2.3 billion. The length of the flyover is estimated at 660meters and the width at 10.7 metres.
Earlier, briefing the CM , C&W secretary Azam Salman said that the department would try its best to complete the project within the stipulated time and budget. He said that the design speed of the flyover was 60 km/h and that it would be a 3 lane structure. He said that there will be a 10m special corridor for Bus Rapid Transportation System (BRTS).
“During the first phase work will begin from the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) grid station on Ferozepur Road. Next, it will move to Gulberg’s Main Boulevard section from Kalma Chowk to Qasr-e-Noor banquet hall,” he said, that work will only begin after one side had been completed. “Constructing the flyover in separate phases will help us minimise disruption of traffic,” he added.
Salman said that the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) had altered the flyover design in view of the traffic situation. He said that as many as 1 million commuters crossed the square daily and over 396,044 vehicles were recorded passing through the area on a daily basis. Salman said that 61 per cent of the traffic crossed the square along Ferozepur Road.
He said that a 1.2 km section of the road bisecting Gadaffi Stadium and the football stadium would be used as an alternative route to cross traffic. “Most of the traffic will be re-directed towards Centre Point. The ponds at Centre Point will be demolished to ease the traffic,” he said.
The C&W representative said that the road along plant nurseries located on Main Boulevard Gulburg will also be used as a diversion. Salman said that traffic police will be deputed along these routes and one deputy superintendent of police (DSP) along with 100 wardens will handle traffic in three different shifts throughout the day.
Salman said that talks with Lesco are about to conclude to relocate its 132 KVA line with 10 poles and another 11KVA line with 80 poles in the area. “All petrol pumps located along these routes have already been issued notices to vacate the land,” he said.
Salman said that the project was scheduled to be completed in 18 months but due to the CM’s instructions it had been rescheduled for completion within eight months. Salman said that work on the project will start within 14 days and during this time all alternate routs will be rehabilitated to avoid the traffic jams during the construction phase.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2011.
Reader Comments (21)
Latest News
Shaadi 2.0
Most divorced, widowed Pakistani women not only haunted by ghosts of previous marriages, also fight for respect.
Acid Crimes: For victims, an ambulance of hope
To-date, the hospital has received 700 acid victims, 450 of whom were treated.
IT infrastructure: PM announces Rs17 billion for broadband
Virtual University to open 30 more campuses across country.
Provincial Officers: No meeting yet of promotion committee
Committee has until around the end of this month to finalise recommendations for submission to the chief minister.
Tobacco ban: City delays crackdown on smoking
Sheesha cafes urge DCO to allow smoking outdoors or in enclosed cabins.
Recent Slideshows
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2012 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? webmaster@tribune.com.pk
shahbaz sharif should focus more on the religous terrorists carrying out a vicious campaign against his wife.The evil of islamic fundamentalism is highest in punjab & KP.The provincial govt’s of these provinces should summon the courage to come out against the teachings & fatwas of the religious barbarians publicly instead of using euphemisms every time these savages attack.Recommend
conspiracy theories,living in denial & support for the religious barbarians is very high in south punjab,KP & the memon community in karachi & hyderabad.
Be it the deobandis or shias or the barelvis,they all have the same hate filled,intolerant,women oppressive & homophobic ideology,only the religious rituals are different,the rest of the hate & bigotry is the same amongst all.Recommend
Those who live in Lahore and commute through the “Kalma Chowk” 2-4 times a day are grateful for this much needed project. Which should have been started in previous regime of Chaudhrys.
Countering Terrorism is not the only mandate ANY government has.Recommend
Its never gonna be ready :(Recommend
happy to hear about flyover…ll be a relief.InshaAllahRecommend
Oh no, not another flyover! We should concentrate on reducing traffic loads rather than accommodating to the ever growing, fuel guzzling, motor economy that everyone’s growing in their garage! We don’t need more roads, we need more public transport. we need people to be able to commute effectively, perhaps the cross city rail line project needs another look. Secondly I live right next to Kalma chowk, I can’t imagine the trouble my neighbors and I will have to go through just trying to get onto the Main road, let alone reach our destinations.Recommend
Shame on you C.M. Faisalabad is the third largest city of Pakistan and there is no single underpass or new fly over. I really fail to understand when you will come out from your home city and start thinking about rest of Pakistan. Lahore’s administrator is best job for youRecommend
im with u hassan!!for him pakistan starts and end up in lahore!!!idhar ata hai sarkein banata hai, beautifies them!!!bt thn again he wants to make lahore PARIS and the rest of punjab into SOMALIA!Recommend
aug 13.. in your dreams!Recommend
Well Done Shabbaz Shariff !
Salutes you on starting this mega project which was needed to start much earlier still you have the courage and a goal to achieve may allah help you its the worse place to move in the morning in a distance of about 300 meters we have to waited for 15 minutes and almost the trafic signals goes red 3-4 times. And my brother from faisalabad with due respect i want to say whole city of faisalabad finishes in 20 minutes while driving where as you need 2 hours to cross from one corner of lahore to the other. Any way its the much needed project good work CM.Recommend
Well Waqar you are highly mistaken about Faislabad….Its 3rd largest city of Pakistan and your cm is not paying attention towards it….Well he will realize it when he will grow upRecommend
All those who are from outside lahore and syaing bad things about only focusing on Lahore.
I advise them to come to Lahore and see the traffic load on kalma chowk and then comment what is needed. Does such traffic load happens in any other city which you mentioned.
Surely there is need to focus on the other cities as well. But this current one is surely the need of the hourRecommend
@muhammad bilal:
“they all have the same hate filled,intolerant”
Seems like you are doing the same ‘hate filled,intolerant’ comments towards the communities you have mentioned.Recommend
Lahore Lahore hai… @ Hassan what you ppl think CM should start repairing roads for Faisalabad. There are only few roads there and the population is really less and there is no need of any fly over or underpass there or any other city of Punjab. The whole population of Faisalabad is less than that of people only living in Allama Iqbal Town, so chill out and come to real world rather than supporting your respective city. you saying CM as administrator of Lahore rather you are acting as representative of Faisalabad rather than a Pakistani.
Only those people know the importance of this step who use to wait for hours in the lines of Kalma chowk. So I must say a perfect and Great Step.
Wishing you Best of Luck CMRecommend
then why u guys here for votes… Lahore’s administrator is best job for your cmRecommend
Yaar i am just saying that lahore is just flooding with teraffic load and kalma chowk is a very bussy intersection and it was long time duw to start this project i admire importance of faisalabad as well but my point was there is no need to build any flyover or underpass there right now may be after 10 yrs it would be thought so my faisalabad brothers dont be angry lahore lahore aey tey aey we thuda ei city aey…akhir aap lof itnay fakhar se lahore ki number plates lagwatay ho <:) we all are brothers. lahore ki poppulation 1 crore se zayada hay…..and there are more than 4.3 million registered vehicles in lahore. so what do you say now sirRecommend
Really excited about this project;Recommend
I really admire CM for this as this is the much needed project because kalma chowk is the busiest intersection in Lahore.Now the only thing that concerns me is that whether it will be completed in its stipulated time???Recommend
I Am really exited about the flyover. Because when it completed, then the traffic load will also less. I saluted Mr Shehbaz Sharef CM Punjab.Recommend
Good project and I hope it is completed within this year (late is better than nothing at all). This will benefit residents of garden town, model town and beyond to get to gulberg without wasting 15 minutes on kalma chowk.
Another equally important project required is the extension of canal roads. Two lanes are simply not enough considering the amount of traffic flowing through it. I dont know why Punjab university is allowed to grab such valuable piece of land. They can do agriculture research out of Lahore and should vacate land for road/parks construction.Recommend
Lot of comments above…..But we really need to go for better transport planning in our cities particulaly the public transport system……………. wider roads or more flyovers may be better to some extent but it never are the soultions to the manifold traffic issues…………..our cities are facing today. We can have better Bus sytems in the cost of flyovers / underpasses………….But who will advise our decision makers to make right decisions for us???????Recommend